The Catedral Basílica Menor Nossa Senhora da Glória is the building everyone in Maringá points to first. Completed in 1972, it rises as a sharp concrete cone above the planned city grid, a piece of space-age modernism that feels very different from Brazil's older baroque churches.
The form was inspired by Sputnik, and the result is both severe and oddly graceful. Step inside for the height and the light, then walk around the surrounding square to see how completely the cathedral anchors the centre.